In The End
by Serinidia
Summary: After dropping Neal off at the deli on a bad note, Peter returns to the headquarters. Little does he know that Neal's staring down the barrel of a gun, trying to save an infant and diffuse a bomb... Neal WHUMP. Not Slash
1. Guns, Bombs and Babies

________

**Author's Notes: Hey guys! This story is simply meant as an attempt to snap the writer's block that has been plaguing me for the last couple of days whenever I go to write the next chapter of Untimely Phobia... So I finally had the time to add lyrics with a chapter/story again! Its been at least a month since I've had enough time for that! As always I don't own White Collar... that's a given or else the show would have plenty more Neal Whumpage in it... Lyrics by Linkin Park**

**Neal: ~grumbles~ Thank the Lord Serinidia doesn't own me or the show**

**Me: Yet**

**Mozzie: HAH! That would be like me going into the FBI Headquarters and telling them my real name.**

**El: Yeah, I don't think he's going...**

**Peter: Think he's going? I know that he isn't going to do that!**

**June: Dear, you really are desperate aren't you?**

**Me: YES!**

**

* * *

**

**"In The End"**

(It starts with)  
One thing, I don't know why

It doesn't even matter how hard you try  
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme  
To explain in due time  
All I know

* * *

Neal, Neal…

Neal wake up…

CAFFREY!

Neal groaned in response to the incessant voice and pulled the covers up over his head. He frowned when the covers were rudely yanked back and attempted to roll over. The ex con artist was peeved and wanted to spend his day off by getting some well-deserved and long overdue sleep.

The last case had been a long undercover operation and Neal had posed as a rich kid party boy in order to get close to the mark. It had taken a while but eventually the younger man had gotten it to the point in which the mark had finally confided his plans for an elaborate string of bank heists and Neal had gotten it all on a recording. Today was his day off, a reward for his hard work.

"NEAL!" This time the frustrated voice was in his ear and Neal shot up, eyes wide and heart beating frantically. There was a grunt as the back of his head collided with the other person's nose and Neal rubbed the back of his head in confusion. _What the hell_?

The felon turned around to see an irate Peter Burke glowering at him. Neal ran a hand through his ruffled hair in an attempt to smooth it down a little bit and offered Peter a sheepish grin. "What's up?"

The grin slid off his face slightly as a spark of anger flashed through his friend's eyes. "Do you know _how many _times I called you?"

Neal shook his head and then glanced over at his cell phone, noticing for the first time that the light was flashing on the device. "Peter I sw-"

Peter shook his head and rudely cut Neal off, "Just save it and get down to my car in five." The agent's tone was terse and a bit a cold. Without glancing at his partner Peter left leaving a stunned Neal in his wake.

Sure things had been touch and go for a while after the incident with Fowler but Peter had never been rude to him. The agent had simply reminded him time and again that he was simply a consultant and could be thrown back in jail based on a whim and that next time he wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Neal slicked his hair back after quickly brushing it, grabbed his fedora, pulled on a pair of pants, a shirt and a jacket and hurried out of his apartment. It was only when he got into the car that he realized that he had left his cell phone by his bed.

"Uhh… Peter…"

"What!"

Neal flinched at the amount of anger in the single word and briefly wondered what the heck he had done to deserve this. One minute he was sleeping just fine, the next he was being snipped at by a moody Peter.

"Never mind." Neal whispered quietly, not wanting to make Peter's mood even worse. There was a grunt in response and Neal pressed his forehead against the window, savoring the feel of the cool glass against his forehead.

A small headache was making itself known and Neal winced when they hit a speed bump going way to fast, resulting in him hitting his already aching head against the window. They reached the small deli where they occasionally ate and Peter stopped his car at the curb in front of it. "Here, take this, get us some lunch and then meet me at the office."

"But Pe-" Neal didn't even get a chance to finish his sentence and watched with a hurt expression on his face as Peter completely ignored him and took off. Was his company really that horrible to put up with?

Sighing heavily Neal walked into the deli and waited patiently in line. It was almost his turn when the group of men walked into the deli, one taking a position at the counter next to an elderly woman and the others spread out into various places in the restaurant.

Neal looked around, spotting the men and mentally noted their positions. The cashier froze when she looked up and saw a gun pointed in her face. Her pretty face was locked in a look of horror and disbelief.

"Give us the money in the machine." The man gestured to the register box in front of her. "NOW!"

The girl, Jill, jumped as the man shouted at her and a baby started wailing. The mother was frantically trying to calm her son down but the infant was to busy focusing on blasting everyone's ear drums to hear her.

"Shut that thing up or I'll do it for you." The man in the sweats growled at the terrified mother and stepped closer as though to prove his point.

Neal tensed, not liking where this was going. He hated guns and he usually took quite a few pains to avoid weapons in general. This time would be an exception. Neal was no hero, never had been, never would be nor would he ever want to be. But he couldn't let the men shoot an innocent child. Not just a child but a _baby_.

The kid wailed even louder, protesting his mother's attempts to shush him. A small smile lit Neal's face up for the briefest moment as the young man remembered when Peter had balked when Mozzie had told him to shush. "Did you just shush me? No, no sushing for you." A small chuckle vibrated in his chest but he was able to make it so that no one heard it.

When the mother failed to quiet the wailing infant the man pulled back the safety on his gun and aimed the muzzle at the baby's forehead. Neal growled and looked around to see if anyone else was going to do something.

Nope, everyone else was either to stupefied to react or was to busy trying to save their own skin. So that left it to him. If he was willing…

* * *

Special Agent Peter Burke sighed loudly as he waited for his partner to come back from the deli. He felt bad about the way he had treated the younger man but the kid just seemed to be able to get under his skin without even having to say anything. How Caffrey did it, Peter didn't have a clue.

Peter had seen the hurt look on his friend's face as he drove off, saw the younger man's shoulders slump and his head hang low, looking at the cement on the sidewalk like it was a work of art.

That had been almost an hour ago and unless the younger man had decided to walk to the FBI office then he should have been here by now working on the stack of case files that had accumulated on his desk.

_You're getting to be worse than Mozzie or whatever the heck he wants me to call him, _Peter thought mockingly, his conscience trying to make fun of the twisted feeling of worry in his gut.

He had gotten little sleep the previous night as he had lain awake and pondering how to Neal the news. News that would devastate the younger man. No, it wasn't about Mozzie's condition, thank God, but it was still extremely serious.

_"Peter, I don't like this either but I can see their reasoning." Hughes told his agent in a coaxing tone. "Caffrey is a liability to this department and we can't afford to have any liabilities."_

_"So you're telling me that everything he has done for us while he's been a part of my team is for nothing?" _

_"No, that's not what I was saying."_

_"Then what the hell do you mean? You're telling me that you are trading my consultant in for a different one like he's some sort of animal!" Peter's voice was furious as he paced the room in front of his senior officer. _

_"Listen to me Peter. You've let Neal get to close to you. Can't you see that he is just using you? He more than proved that too us the other week." _

_"He told me that he didn't intend to hu-"_

_Hughes cut his agent off in the middle of the sentence, "Of course he told you that Burke. What else do you think he was going to tell you? It's in his nature to lie, sneak and take."_

_Peter was so infuriated by the last remark that he ended up literally choking on his words. There was a tense silence in the room as Peter glared at Hughes angrily. _

_"Burke, nothing you say is going to change anything. Caffrey's going back to jail in two weeks from now. The only reason he isn't being sent back today is because the two of you are in the middle of a case."_

_Peter opened his mouth to say something before shutting it. Then he spoke up, "But he didn't **shoot** Fowler when easily could have! Doesn't that count for anything? What about the fact that he didn't even resist or bother trying to pick the locks when he handcuffed him?"_

_"Peter I'm sorry, I really I am but I can't change this. This over my authority or influence." _

_Peter simply shook his head in frustration, anger sparking from livid brown eyes. "I'll see you tomorrow, sir, if you would be so kind as to excuse me."_

_Hughes nodded and Peter opened the door to come face to face with his consultant. Neal was holding two coffees in his hands, his elegant scrawl across the top of Peter's cup. The kid had a useful habit of writing the names of the people to which the drinks belonged (or were going to) so that he wouldn't get mixed up and so that they wouldn't mix up each other's cups._

_"How long have you been out here?" Peter snapped the question as he took the cup from his friend a bit roughly. A nervous look entered Neal's eyes and the younger man took a couple of steps away from Peter. The older agent saw something unreadable flash across the blue eyes before it disappeared._

_"I-I just got here Peter." The ex-con's voice trembled slightly as wide eyes looked at his partner in curiosity and concern. "Are you ok Peter?"_

_Peter snorted at the question as he turned to walk up the stairs to his office, leaving a beleaguered Neal behind. ::Was he ok?:: Peter snorted at the thought as he plopped heavily into his seat. ::Hell no.:: He was about to lose his best friend and his partner in a few short weeks and there was nothing he could do about it. Peter sighed heavily as he flipped the nearest case folder open and began to read. ::How am I supposed to spend time with him, hell even look at him without it hurting? He's like the kid El and I never had the chance to have and now all I can do is watch as they retire him to the confines of a jail cell like a racehorse is confined to its stall when the owner's deem its racing days to be over.:: It just wasn't right…_

_

* * *

_

Time is a valuable thing  
Watch it fly by as the pendulum swings  
Watch it count down to the end of the day  
The clock ticks life away  
It's so unreal  
Didn't look out below  
Watch the time go right out the window  
Trying to hold on but didn't even know  
Wasted it all just to  
Watch you go

* * *

Peter groaned as he ran a hand through his hair with another heavy sigh. He would find a way to make up to the kid tomorrow. There was an art exhibit coming through one of the hot shot museums that was outside of Neal's two miles and Peter knew that the young man was desperate to go see it.

Picking up the phone Peter dialed a number…

* * *

The woman with the child closed her eyes and turned her back to the man that was pointing the gun at her baby. She cradled the infant protectively in her arms and that was her fatal mistake. Or maybe she had intended for it to happen. In the few seconds before she had turned around, her eyes had made contact with Neal's long enough for a message to pass across to both of them.

She had seen someone willing to protect her infant, and he had seen a mother willing to sacrifice herself for her baby.

It was a silent plea and an answer.

_Help him_, her eyes had begged, the green depths sparkling in unshed tears.

I _ will_, calm blue ones answered reassuringly.

Neal still flinched though when the gun went off. There was a small grunt as the bullet tore through the young mother's heart and she collapsed, her grip on her child nonexistent. Neal dove forward automatically and twisted so that he was sliding on his back in order to catch the infant. The baby was eerily silent and as Neal held the child in his arms, he was afraid that the bullet had gone clean through the mother and lodged itself in the baby.

He wasn't really all that concerned as to what happened to him. Neal knew that he was going back to the slammer in less than fourteen days. Of course his partner didn't know that he knew but it was almost impossible to keep a secret like that from Neal.

* * *

_ Flashback_

* * *

_Neal smiled as he inhaled the rich fumes of the tow cups of coffee that were cradled in his arms. He walked past the other desks, ignoring the jealous looks that were being indiscreetly shot in his direction. Well… to any other person the looks would have been indiscreet but Neal was a con artist and as such he never missed things like that._

_A small smirk curled his lips up as he walked past Ruiz's desk. The other agent was staring a cup of mud. Well, it wasn't literally mud…_

_Neal shook his head in confusement. The slop that they called coffee here was mud in disguise for sure. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Ruiz shoot a longing glance at the **real** coffee that was currently being cradled in the con artist's arms. _

_That was enough to make Neal's day._

_When he saw that Peter wasn't in his office, Neal went over to Hughes' office. He paused at the doorway and decided to wait for his friend there, not wanting to interrupt whatever it was the two men were talking about. _

_"Of course he told you that Burke. What else did you think he was going to say? It's in his nature to lie, sneak and take!"_

_Neal felt like his heart was being ripped out but if anyone else looked at him they wouldn't be able to tell. The young man still had his lips forced up into the imitation of a small smile and worked hard to keep the merry twinkle that had formerly been occupying his eyes._

__

_

* * *

_

kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter

I

_

* * *

_

_"Told you I wasn't the only one that doesn't want you here Caffrey." A voice sneered from behind the young man and Neal swung around to face Ruiz._

_"And yet you wonder why I never get you coffee, I'm forever forgetting what it was you wanted." Neal smirked when he saw a flicker insecurity flash through Ruiz's eyes._

_"Just remember your place here Caff. As Agent Rice once told you, you're just a tool in the FBI's belt." Confident that he had gotten the last word, Ruiz spun around and walked off._

_"Better to be a tool that's used instead of a piece of rotting wood!" Neal called after the agent and smirked again when he saw Ruiz stiffen._

_::Gotcha:: _

_Neal turned around again when he heard the door open and plastered his usual goofy grin on his face as he bounced over to Peter with a false sense of energy. The older agent looked infuriated, more so than he had been when he had lectured Neal for almost 48 hours straight after the Fowler incident…_

_

* * *

_

End Flashback

_

* * *

_

The butt of the gun slammed into the side of Neal's head as the voice angrily repeated itself. "I told you to drop the vermin and to step away!"

His ears ringing from the repercussion of the blow, Neal shook his head. "I don't see any rats around here, and I'm not holding one."

"Oh, so you want to play hero kid?"

"Thas' not wha' I said." Neal slurred after a few seconds. He was strangely tired and his head was hurting horribly.

The next blow rocked his body to the side and Neal gasped in pain as the foot connected with his kidney.

"Drop the kid."

Neal shook his head resolutely and felt the man go to reach around him. Neal curled up around the small bundle in his arms in an effort to protect the little boy with his own body.

He hissed sharply as the boot connected with his side but didn't relinquish his charge up to the men. There was an explosion and a searing pain ripped through Neal's shoulder. The younger man squeezed his eyes shut in pain and clenched his teeth as one of the men grasped the injured shoulder and put an excessive amount of pressure on it.

"You done playing hero yet?" The voice was cold and emotionless.

"G'to hell." Neal gasped before groaning as the man slammed a closed fist into the bullet wound.

Something slammed into the back of Neal's head and the ex-con's world faded into a black and distant realm.

* * *

I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter

* * *

Neal was roused with a painful kick to his side and the first thing he noticed was that the infant was gone. Panic shot through him as he scanned the area frantically for the little boy.

That kid was his charge damn it! He had more or less promised the baby's mother that he would keep her child safe.

Safe as in alive and unharmed.

Not the safe as in dead but untouched….

A gentle hand grasped him under his good arm and helped into a less awkward position and he looked up. Jill's warm eyes were filled with concern as she helped him. As if knowing what his unspoken question was, she pointed over to the right.

The baby was still alive and as far as Neal could tell, unharmed. He cast a searching look around the deli again and noticed that the men were gone. Neal scrambled to his feet and ran with quiet footsteps over to the prone form of the infant.

The sight that greeted him filled him with a sense of horror. Strapped to the infant's chest was a bomb…

* * *

One thing, I don't know why  
It doesn't even matter how hard you try  
Keep that in mind, I designed this rhyme  
To remind myself how  
I tried so hard

* * *

Shaking hands lowered themselves until they were hovering over the device. "Does anyone have a cell phone?" Neal cursed mentally knowing that he should have told Peter earlier when they were still at the house that he had forgotten his cell upstairs.

He dimly remembered Ruiz teaching him how to diffuse a bomb as a precaution before he had been sent in undercover for the other agent on one of Ruiz's operations. Neal hadn't made it a point to memorize for after that period of time though.

* * *

In spite of the way you were mocking me  
Acting like I was part of your property  
Remembering all the times you fought with me  
I'm surprised it got so (far)

* * *

Neal studied the wires and numbers and various other devices that the bomb had on it. Someone handed him a cell and he flipped it open, dialing Peter's number as quickly as possible. _Come on, come on, come on! Pick up the phone Peter!_

When Peter failed to pick up, Neal tried it again this time with success. "Peter…"

* * *

Things aren't the way they were before  
You wouldn't even recognize me anymore  
Not that you knew me back then  
But it all comes back to me  
In the end

* * *

Neal sounded desperate and that worried Peter. Peter was used to a calm, collected and cool Caffrey. Sure, he had seen Neal upset before but that had been a different kind of upset. No, this was the kind of upset that meant you were concerned about multiple people, yourself and…. What?

The unknown perhaps?

"Peter!"

That snapped Peter out of his meditative like state of mind and he answered with a "Yeah?"

"How do you diffuse a bomb?"

"A what?" Peter asked in disbelief. _What the hell is Neal doing with a bomb_?

"A bomb Peter, a frickin' bomb!"

Neal never cussed, unless he was seething or extremely worried and scared. Right now Peter couldn't tell if Neal was more angry than he was scared. "Huh."

That must have sounded like another version of "What?" to Neal because his partner went off on a tangent.

"A bomb Peter. As in B-O-M-B. Also known as a weapon that goes KABOOM and you all fall dead."

The way Neal worded it made Peter want to laugh. This was a very serious situation but somehow whenever Neal was involved you could pee your pants in fear and yet still be amused by the younger man.

"Take it easy Neal. Ok first things first…"

* * *

You kept everything inside and even though I tried, it all fell apart  
What it meant to me will eventually be a memory of a time when I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter

* * *

"How the hell am I supposed to know what kind of bomb it is?" Neal demanded as he looked down at his new personal enemy. There was a sigh on eht other end of the line before Peter snapped a quick "never mind"

"Describe what it looks like to me Neal."

Neal went into a detailed but brief description and then waited as there was a long pause on the other end of the phone. "Cut the shorter red wire at the base."

"Which base?"

"The one on the …right."

* * *

I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter

* * *

Neal looked around and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that one of the hostages had been able to find a way out of the building. Neal motioned for the others to leave as well. If this ended badly, he wanted as few as possible to be harmed.

Once he was sure they were all out of the building, Neal clipped the wire and heaved a sigh of relief when the bomb didn't explode.

* * *

I've put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go  
For all this  
There's only one thing you should know

* * *

Then the numbers started flashing and Neal gazed down at them with a panicked gleam in his eyes.

"Peter they're flashing!"

* * *

I've put my trust in you  
Pushed as far as I can go

* * *

"You're doing great Neal, now clip the base of the blue wire located to the base of the red wire that you just cut."

Neal clipped it and the numbers stopped flashing. In fact all of the lights stopped flashing. "Oh, thank God." Neal sighed as he carefully slipped the harnesses off of the boy.

"Alright Neal, get out of there and I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes, ok?"

"Yeah," Neal grunted as his injured shoulder was forced to bear most of the infant's weight. He hung up the phone and was just about to walk out of the door when the bomb exploded.

* * *

For all this  
There's only one thing you should know  
I tried so hard  
And got so far  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter  
I had to fall  
To lose it all  
But in the end  
It doesn't even matter

* * *

The man that had been sitting on the roof adjacent to the deli grinned when he saw the bomb go off and set the remote control down. The little restaurant was completely destroyed and there was a growing crowd around the demolished building. Mission accomplished.

* * *

**_Author's Notes: Please remember this was just an attempt to ditch a writer's block for the story Untimely Phobia. I'm at the point in which if I don't get a chapter for that story written by the weekend I'll be declaring it as on Hiatus..._**

**_Please Leave Me A Review! Should I continue or leave as is?_**


	2. Phone Calls

**_Author's Notes: Wow! I'm stupified, stunned, shocked or whatever else you want to call my amazement about the amount of reviews the last chapter recieved! Thank you sooo very much and now, here is your reward... an update the very next day! There is some bad news for those of you that follow the story Untimely Phobia because I have decided to put that story on hold for now. I will update it but that will be a while. I apologize and feel terrible about this..._**

**_Neal: I'm not._**

**_Me: Don't worry Neal, I'll make sure you regret saying that whenever I do update that story..._**

**_Neal: ~pouts~_**

* * *

The sounds of ambulances, fire trucks and police sirens wailed through the stricken streets that surrounded the husk of what had once been a deli. There was a shocked silence and the traffic stopped completely in front of the shell. Onlookers could only gaze in horrified disbelief.

The deli had been a popular restaurant and quite a few of the people stopped in traffic had been on their way to the deli. They pitied any unlucky person that had still been inside of it.

Those that had been inside were gazing in a mournful manner at the ruins. The young man that had saved them had yet to show himself. Many were looking around hopefully, waiting for the suave stranger to come strolling down a side-street with a crooked smile on his face, baby and all. But many of them knew that no one could have possibly survived that blast.

Jill knelt by the ruins of the back door and trailed her fingertips along what had once been the door knob with a small sob. She had seen the look in Neal's eyes (she knew him and Peter because they used the deli so frequently that the two men had befriended her) when he was reaching for the knob. The baby had been cradled in his arms, the bomb removed. He had looked pale and carried his shoulder in a pained fashion as he used it to cushion the infant's head.

Her shoulders shook as she picked up a cell phone that was half buried by the rubble. It was her phone, and she realized that the men must have dropped it on the way out. Jill picked it up and dialed a number into the device before holding it to her ear.

"May I speak to Agent Burke?"

* * *

Neal Caffrey inhaled sharply in pain as his consciousness returned. There was a crushing weight pinning the entire lower half of his body down and his shoulder was on fire. Something was jammed into his side and the con artist struggled to draw air into his lungs. Something moved against his good side and he flinched in surprise. A pair of big green eyes looked up at him as the infant attempted to snuggle closer to him. The kid seemed to realize that Neal had saved his life.

The con's back was on fire (with pain not literal fire) and he attempted to shift into a better position. He coughed hoarsely and grimaced when it felt like his throat was about to rip open because of the coughing. Swallowing hurt and breathing was agony.

He clenched his fist as he tried to ride out a wave of pain, his head tilted back and his body slightly arched. The wave was over quickly and Neal felt his taut muscles relax slightly. Twisting to the side as much as he dared, Neal did his best to examine the baby. "I really need to start calling you something other than kid, or baby." Neal muttered, addressing the child next to him.

There was a soft gurgling noise from the infant's mouth and Neal felt his lips being tugged upwards into a smile. "I don't think you want me to call you that kid."

The infant's tiny fist found his fingers and wrapped around one of them and Neal could feel the baby shivering. _Crap_. How was he supposed to warm the kid up when he couldn't even move?

With a low groan Neal forced his arms to push his upper body into a semi-sitting position. The pain was horrible but Neal did his best to push it out of the forefront of his mind, concern for the baby was stronger.

"How about Jay?"

There was an indignant gurgle.

"Nick?... no? ok then…"

"Charlie?" Neal's eyes lit up when the infant seemed to agree with the name. "Well, nice to meet you Charlie. I'm Neal, Neal Caffrey. Of course people sometimes call me other things that aren't so nice but…."

_Speaking of people, I need to make someone realize that we're down here or else we'll end up dying anyways._ Reaching into his pocket, Neal produced a severely battered cell phone and sighed in relief when it worked. _Thank you God_.

He dialed a familiar set of numbers and put it one speaker so that he didn't have to hold it. Leaning over, Neal picked up the baby after checking for any serious injuries, and cradled him in his good arm. Charlie curled up against young man's stomach, the shivers slowly starting to fade.

"P'ter?"

* * *

Peter Burke fumbled for the phone while at the same time trying to keep the car on the road. The ringing had startled him, his mind wrapped up in the explosion that he had heard over the phone shortly before he had been disconnected.

* * *

_Flashback_

_

* * *

_

"_Alright Neal, get out of there and I'll meet you there in a couple of minutes. Ok?"_

_There was a pained gasp before he heard Neal reply with a breathy, "Yeah," as the younger man started to head out of the building. Peter was reassured by the sound of Neal's footsteps and felt a wave of relief. His partner had gotten out of there ali—wait what was that noise?_

"_**A bomb Peter. As in B-O-M-B. Also known as a weapon that goes KABOOM and you all fall dead."**__ The single sentence ran through Peter's head and the agent could feel the blood drain from his face. ::Oh God no, please!::_

"_NEAL! Neal answer me!" He screamed into the receiver of the phone, ignoring the fact that the line had already been disconnected. _

_A sense of despair swept over Peter and the agent blinked rapidly. Neal was dead._

_Neal Caffrey, master art forger and legendary con artist was dead because of him. He had killed his best friend, partner and son in one day. All it had taken was a single action made out of brashness. _

_What hurt the worst was that Neal had probably died thinking that Peter hated him. The last thing Peter had ever told his partner was a cold order to get lunch then find his own way to get back to work. _

_He closed his eyes, the look of hurt on Neal's face when the agent had cut him off in the middle of a word by driving away. ::This can't be happening.:: _

_Not to Neal. _

_Neal was the invincible and talented con artist turned criminal informant. Just like a character out of a comic book, fedora and all. Neal was a Superman in his own unique way. _

_A picture of the younger man's trademark grin flashed across Peter's conscience and he hit the steering wheel angrily. He should have just told Neal what was going on instead of trying to figure how to while snipping his head off at the same time. _

_::I'm so sorry Neal:: If Peter had been the kind of man like Neal had been then he wouldn't have been ashamed by the tears that streaked down his face._

_He had no reason to be ashamed, Peter knew that, but he also knew that he was going to have to be the rock that the rest of his team and his wife could lean on once they got the news. _

_That is if they wanted anything to do with him…_

_

* * *

_

End Flashback

Flipping open the cell phone Peter answered with a pained, "May I ask who's calling?"

"P'ter?" _Neal is that really you? It can't be…_ Peter's eyes widened and he quickly corrected the Taurus' path so that the car would stay on the road. There was an angry honk from behind him.

"Neal?"

"Mhmm?" Caffrey's voice sounded incredibly weak and extremely pained.

"Neal!"

"Don' wear 'y n'me out Peteh…" Peter felt his heart wrench painfully as Neal attempted to lighten the situation up a little bit.

"If you insist." The agent teased kindly.

"H'rts." Neal's tone was plaintive.

"Where are you buddy?" Peter asked as he pulled up in front of the demolished deli.

There was a hitch in Neal's breathing before a wet coughing fit took over. There were a couple of pained gasps before Neal summoned enough strength to answer. "'nder the 'uilding."

_Oh God_, was the only coherent thought that ran through the agent's mind.

"Hang in there buddy. I'll get you out of there, I promise!" The silence on the other side of the line scared Peter and he wished… no he could!

"Neal, I want you to hang up and then call me back using the video call. Ok?" Peter hoped desperately that Neal would understand what he was saying.

"Ok." The other man's voice was too breathy for Peter's liking.

The call disconnected and the next few minutes felt like hours as Peter waited for his partner to call him back. Finally his phone rang and Peter answered it quickly.

_Jesus Neal_, Peter swore mentally as he took in the image of his partner's battered body. He had known just by hearing Neal's voice that things were bad…but actually seeing the damage afflicted on his friend's body sickened Peter. "Neal, what hurts the most?" Peter knew asking the younger man what hurt in general was an idiotic question.

"My back."

Peter winced and brought the car to a stop, his face paling noticeably as he took in the ruins of the deli. How had Neal survived something like that? _Lucky bastard_.

"Where?"

"Lower back…Peter?"

"Yeah buddy?"

The camera turned away from Neal, shaking slightly, as the con artist brought it around so that it was looking at a small infant. Then it moved so that Peter could see that Neal was pinned down to the ground by several large slabs of cement from the waist down.

Peter closed his eyes and shook his head miserably. There was nothing he could do to help his friend except to keep him talking.

"You have any diapers?" The question was weak but filled with amusement.

"Any what?"

"Diapers, known as the things babies tend to crap in. Do we need to have the same type of discussion as before?" The tone was sarcastic and exasperated at the same time.

"Why the hell would I have diapers?"

Neal looked like he was about to say something before deciding against it. Suddenly the camera was jostled roughly and then it seemed to be going closer and closer to a mouth. There was a frantic, "No! Don't….give that back….Charlie I'm…you!"

Peter smirked and decided that he liked this baby because the infant was putting Neal in his mentor's shoes.

Then the camera gave the agent a flattering view of the inside of a baby's mouth. Peter's smirk faded into a look of disgust and was saved from the drooling inside of the mouth when Neal grabbed the phone and wiped it off on his shirt.

"Sorry about that."

Peter simply grinned in response. "Neal, you scared the crap out of me."

Neal knew that Peter wasn't talking about the camera incident just now. "I figured that from the sound of your voice when you answered the phone." The younger man lay back down weakly, unable to hide the grimace on his face as his abused body adjusted itself to the new position. Neal set the phone up against an adjacent piece of rubble so that Peter would be able to see him without tiring his arm.

"I'll get you out of there."

Neal smiled softly, trust and admiration shining in his eyes. "I know you will Peter." The younger man's body went limp and Peter freaked.

No matter how loud or how many times the agent screamed his friend's name, there was no response…

* * *

_**Author's Notes: I know its not as long as the first chapter but then again, that chapter was over 4.000 words... anywho... did you like it? Hate it? I tried to throw in some humor to lighten things up a little but you guys will have to let me know if it worked or not. Just to clear something up about the last chapter, the other people never called the cops when Neal was knocked out because they didn't have the guts. They were all within an easy target zone range and didn't want to be killed and end up having accomplished nothing...**_

_**Please leave me a review!**_


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